Press Releases

The Justice Department today issued a release announcing a criminal conviction for violating the federal rules prohibiting coordination between federal candidates and their campaigns, and Super PACs and other outside spending groups. According to Democracy 21 President Fred Wertheimer: This is an extremely important development and sends a warning signal to all federal candidates in …

Two weeks ago, according to press reports, a roomful of multi-millionaires decided they are going to raise and spent about $900 million to make the 2016 elections turn out their way. This money is going to be donated to outside spending groups in very large amounts by very rich people. Much of the money will …

The American Constitution Society Five Years Later, Citizens United Wreaks Havoc on Our Democracy By Fred Wertheimer, President, Democracy 21. Democracy 21 is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to strengthen democracy, prevent government corruption and empower citizens in the political process. On January 21, 2010, five Supreme Court justices rejected decades of the Court’s …

Five years ago today, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Citizens United, a 5 to 4 decision that has wreaked havoc on our democracy. Chief Justice Roberts and his four colleagues ignored the country’s history, the Court’s own jurisprudence and the need to protect America’s representative system of government against corruption. Instead, Citizens United …

Reuters Democracy is drowning in a sea of dark money By Fred Wertheimer The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United five years ago left the nation’s campaign finance system in shambles and our constitutional system of representative government dangerously undermined. Citizens United threw out a century of national policy and overturned decades of Supreme Court precedent to …

By Fred Wertheimer Campaign finance laws are generally enacted to solve problems and deal with corruption scandals. The Federal Election Campaign Act Amendments of 1974 (FECA) followed the Watergate scandals of the 1970s. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) followed the soft money scandals of the 1990s. Last week, just the opposite occurred. …

Reform groups today sent a letter to President Obama stating that if the Omnibus Appropriations legislation becomes law, it includes the most corrupting campaign finance provisions ever enacted. The letter is enclosed below. Dear President Obama, The Omnibus Appropriations legislation, if it becomes law, includes the most corrupting campaign finance provisions ever enacted. The provisions …

The nation has been crying out for our leaders in Washington to work together. The incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has been talking about wanting to put together bipartisan agreements and legislation. But I don’t think the destruction by Republican Leader McConnell and Senate Majority Leader Reid of critically important anti-corruption campaign finance laws …

Bipartisan bargain in Omnibus will allow donor to give $776,600/year or $1,553,200/election cycle to the 3 national party committees CLARIFICATION The release enclosed below was sent out at 10 pm last night and dealt with the total amount an individual could give to a national party – the DNC and the RNC – under the …

The Huffington Post A Call to Arms By: Fred Wertheimer In 1789, the Founding Fathers created a constitutional system of government by the people. In 2010, five Supreme Court Justices — Roberts, Kennedy, Scalia, Thomas and Alito — changed it to a constitutional system of government by millionaires, billionaires and corporations. In the Citizens United …